Porquerolles
Porquerolles (aka Île de Porquerolles), is an island in the Îles d'Hyères archipelago in Var.
Understand
The island is a part of Port-Cros - Porquerolles National Park[dead link].
As a matter of fact, the most of the Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le fou was shot at this island.
- 1 Bureau d'informations de Porquerolles, ☏ +33 4 94 58 33 76. July-August: M-Sa 09:00 – 18:15, Su 09:00 – 13:00; September-March: M-Sa 09:00 – 12:30 and 14:00 – 17:00, Su (Sep and Oct only) 9h00 – 13:00; April-June: M-Sa 09:00 – 17:30, Su 08:00 – 13:00. free WIFI spot
- 2 [dead link] La Maison de Parc national à Porquerolles (House of Porquerolles National Park), maisonparcprl.pnpc@portcros-parcnational.fr. from 16 March to 15 November: 09:30-12:30, also 16 March to 29 March and from 25 October to 15 November: 13:30-17:30, 30 March to 5 July and 14 September to 24 October: 14:00-18:00, 6 July to 13 September: 14:30-18:30.
Get in
By boat
- From La Tour Fondue port, at Giens peninsula South of Hyeres: regular ferry service by TLV (€19.5 a return adult ticked)
- From Le Lavandou and Cavalaire-sur-Mer: April — September services by Vedettes Îles d'Or et Le Corsaire
- From La Londe-les-Maures: April — October services by Bateliers de la Côte d'Azur
- From Bormes-les-Mimosas: April - October services by Latitude Verte aboard a hybrid boat.
In July and August there are other some connections by boat from Toulon, Bandol, La Londe-les-Maures and other places.
Get around
By foot or by bicycle. It's rumoured there is also one taxi on the island.
See
- 1 Eglise Sainte Anne (church). It has a curious Way of the Cross with a knife carried by a soldier.
- 2 Jardin E. Lopez (E. Lopez garden) (at the edge of the village, on the road to the Lighthouse). from March 08:30-12:30, 14:00-18:00. free.
- 3 Fort Sainte Agathe (Info and reservations at the Park House), ☏ +33 4 94 58 07 24. Only visited by guided tours from 15 Jun to 13 Sep at 10:00, 14:00 and 16:00. There a number of forts on the island. This one is open to the public.
- 4 Le Moulin du Bonheur (wind mill), ☏ +33 4 94 58 07 24. Only visited by guided tours from 15 Jun to 13 Sep at 11:30, 15:30 and 17:30.
Do
There are a number of walking and cycling trails [dead link] crossing the island. Perhaps the most popular one is South from the village to the Phare de Porquerolles (lighthouse) (closed to the public).
NB: Outside the village there is only one bar at the plage d'Argent (W of the village), so it's worth to plan accordingly, i.e. take water, etc. with yourself.
Bicycle rent
- 1 [formerly dead link] Le Cycle Porquerollais, 1 rue de la Ferme, ☏ +33 4 94 58 30 32, cycleporquerollais@wanadoo.fr. Apr-Oct from 08:45 to 45 minutes before the last ferry departure; Nov-Mar 09:15-12:45, from 14:30 to 45 minutes before the last ferry departure.
Beaches
There are a number of nice beaches on the island, mostly along its northern coast.
Buy
Eat
- 1 Le Pelagos, Place d'Armes, ☏ +33 4 94 58 38 63. Good reviews
- 2 [dead link] L'Eucalyptus, 8, place d'Armes, ☏ +33 4 94 58 39 84.
- 3 L'Alycastre, 1, rue de la Ferme, ☏ +33 4 94 58 30 03.
- 4 Ailleurs, Rue de l'Artisanat, ☏ +33 4 94 58 34 28. Inexpensive family run, frequented by locals.
- 5 Il Pescatore, Quai Pêcheurs, ☏ +33 4 89 96 15 27. Not cheap, but good quality
- 6 La Calanque, Place Armes, ☏ +33 4 94 58 31 73. Fish couscous was recommended by a visitor.
- 7 [formerly dead link] La Plage d'Argent, Chemin de la Plage d'Argent, ☏ +33 4 94 58 32 48, laplage.porquerolles@orange.fr. A restaurant at the beach. Mixed reviews.
- 8 L'Olivier, Chemin du Langoustier (at the hotel 'Le Mas du Langoustier'), ☏ +33 4 94 58 30 09, info@langoustier.com. 12:30 - 14:00, 19:30 - 21:00. 1* Michelin restaurant. Cuisine: modern, creative €62 – 130.
Drink
Sleep
Connect
Go next
Port-Cros — another island in the archipelago